HC Deb 26 February 2002 vol 380 c1093W
Mr. Gordon Prentice

To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of NHS beds in the north-west of England that are occupied by elderly people who should be in residential care. [34568]

Jacqui Smith

In the north-west region, in September 2001, 259 hospital beds were occupied by patients who were awaiting social services funding or waiting for placements in residential care homes. This is the latest information available. It is based on returns from 15 of the 16 health authorities in the region.